Effects specialist Greg Nicotero is taking his talents from The Walking Dead to Spawn. Todd McFarlane’s demonic anti-hero previously debuted on the big screen in 1997, but it didn’t go as well as everyone hoped. The original Spawn was destroyed by critics, and is heavily dated now thanks to the special effects. McFarlane is looking to give his comic creation another chance, and he’ll be even more involved than before. He’s not only writing the script, but producing and directing the upcoming Spawn movie.
McFarlane has been heavily promoting his vision for Spawn and how it will be different than the previous iteration. For starters, the focus of the film won’t be on the title character, but rather on a lowly cop named Twitch, who will be played by Jeremy Renner. More announcements have to be made before the movie can begin production and the one McFarlane has been teasing is now known.
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McFarlane Toys announced today that The Walking Dead‘s make-up special effects creator Greg Nicotero is joining Spawn. He’s bringing his company KNB EFX with him to create a design for Spawn. This is a reunion for all parties involved, as McFarlane, Nicotero, and KNB EFX all worked on the previous Spawn movie. Here is what McFarlane had to say about bringing Nicotero back, as well as a photo of McFarlane and Nicotero together again:
I’m a long-time fan of Greg’s work and the projects his company, KNB has done throughout the years. Working with him once again, to re-invent the Spawn ‘look’ so it will match the supernatural theme in the movie, is going to be a fun process.
Re-inventing the look of Spawn is a bold choice for McFarlane and Nicotero to make as his look hasn’t changed too much over the years. The black suit with white stripes down the middle and around the eyes, as well as his giant red cloak have been with him for years. This redesign could just be the result of bringing the character to life in a practical way, but McFarlane also mentions the purpose of better suiting the supernatural theme. Since McFarlane did create the character and plays a huge role in this new film, he does have the liberty to do as he pleases.
Bringing Nicotero and his team on board hopefully results in a great, practical look for Jamie Foxx’s Spawn. Nicotero is one of the main reasons The Walking Dead‘s zombies always look so good in all the various environments. However, with Twitch in the lead role, there may not be as much Spawn in Spawn as many may want. McFarlane’s gone as far as to liken his role to Bruce the Shark’s in Jaws, which isn’t much. The lack of screen-time isn’t what made Bruce a terrifying threat, but rather the practical nature of him – and that looks to be the direction Spawn is going now that Nicotero is involved.
